Coming Along

Well dear friend the garden is coming along quite nicely.
The heat has encouraged the lettuce to wilt and the spinach to bolt but the tomatoes worship it!

Tiny peppers are gracing the ancho chili plant.Petite blossoms are appearing on the banana squash. I am very eager to see how colossal the fruits are going to be. The card indicated the fruit can grow to 3’ long…if this works it will be feeding the masses!!
Gardening is a grand experiment; sometimes everything flourishes and from time to time your zucchini turns yellow and struggles to survive.

The little girls are doing well; they are growing into their beaks and feathers at an alarming rate. Scraggly teenagers are rapidly melting into dramatic, sleek, robust chickens. Good for you girls. Keep on.

The only real issue at the farm lately, RATS!!
They have taken up residence.
I want them gone.
I do not relish the idea of killing them but they are uninvited guests.
For a few years we have been rat free. I have racked my brain if I began doing something different. The big girls have been ejected from the coop for the time being*; maybe they are attracted to the excess feed the little girls knock on the floor of the coop, maybe the rats are attracted to the excess feces? I have heard both can attract them.


I’ll keep you posted.


*the little girls need some time to grow up before they try and play with the big 'uns

Baby Beverly

Follow Your Bliss

quinoa hummus salad

Made with fresh lettuce and mint from the garden...yum!

Chick Habit

Three more chicks have officially taken up residence on our little patch of land.

At the present moment they are residing in the bedroom. A very large plastic bin serves as their brooder. Wood chips serve as their carpet*, they are kept warm with the radiance of the heat lamp, the grow timer ensures they have a nice heat cycle, feeder, water font and grit are all in and I am pleased to say they are thriving!


It is astounding how fast they grow. Their feathers are beginning to appear and they are attempting to break out of the brooder. The other morning we were fast asleep and awoke to the larger (Francis) of the chicks standing on the edge of the brooder. She hopped down nonchalantly and began her exploration of the bedroom. I promptly grabbed some chicken wire from the shed and placed it over the top of the brooder to keep them contained. I love the girls but I don’t want them in my bed.


Last time this process happened it was an amazing learning experience. I read so much information about raising chickens it was borderline sickening.


Did you know that chicks can be mail ordered (weird, I know.) They can survive for 24-48 hours on the nutrition left in the egg. Mail order is a good option if you want pullets only. Many cities have ordinances about roosters because of their tendency to “greet the morning”.


I have had many people ask questions about the logistics of the ladies, one of the most common is; “How do you have eggs if you don’t have a rooster?” The simple answer is that pullets lay eggs regardless of how much testosterone is around. If you want to hatch your own chicks a rooster is necessary to fertilize the egg.


Another common misconception is about the color of the eggs. Not all eggs are white. There are various shades of brown, blue, green, pinkish and your standard white. White eggs typically purchased at the grocery store are not bleached; they come from a breed of chicken that lays white eggs.


It’s all a remarkable process and I am pleased to share it with everyone, especially Josh. He seems to be awed by all of it.
“You are alive”.



*When you acquire day old chicks it is a good idea to place paper towels down at first. This ensures they eat the food and not the wood chips. The paper towels also serve as a softer surface for them. I read that sometimes when chicks are kept on newspaper they can develop deformities in their legs because of the hard surface.

Itch

And it begins…spring is here, seeds are sown, starts are thriving in the window and I’ve got a serious itch. All these are typical occurrences on this little patch of dirt.
 This itch I’ve got this year, it’s a gnarly one.


I want to make this the best gardening year to date.


I will grow scores of vegetables to feed the drunk and hungover masses.
I will do it well.
All will be happy and stuffed full of nutritious vegetables.
 This is my plan.

So far we have started corn, cantaloupe, thai chilies, various squash, lemon and armenian cucumbers, old german tomatoes, beefstake tomatoes, poll beans, Hansel eggplant, purple Italian eggplant, Florence fennel, onions, edamame, long island brussels sprouts and big max pumpkins. All of these are perched on a window seal in the kitchen. The majority are fairing well, some are a bit slow to start but with any luck will be bursting out of their shells soon.

It always surprises me how simple it is to start vegetables from seeds. Place in dirt, water, cover for a bit, situate in partially luminous window and 3 to 10 days later BAM little green shoots begin to appear. Life springs forth from those tiny, dry globes. It’s amazing every time.


If you haven’t ever tried to start vegetables from seeds, I highly recommend it. Its simple and it brings you even closer to your future dinners. You saw it through its most delicate, vulnerable stage. You made that green shoot come into being with a bit of attention.


If you buy spinach or leafy greens in the plastic tubs at the grocery store, save them. Go out, get some potting soil and some seeds. Put soil in said plastic tub. Plant seeds. Label. Water. Watch. Easy. Just give it a try, I promise you will not be dissatisfied.

Understanding

I recognize the term “prostitute” may put some sensitive individuals off. The word is generally related to lewd, back-alley acts but I assure you, there will be none of that here.

Prostitute, in terms of my love for gardening, is simply the idea of using a skill or ability for gain or achievement.

My ability/skill is a passionate desire to discover, grow and produce food.

The achievement/gain is the passage of knowledge to you and some delicious, local, organic fruit & vegetables for me and mine.

I will whore myself out to my garden all spring, summer and fall while keeping track of its progression (or lack there of), reporting to you all the while. 

Happy Planting~